Dylan Larkin puts on a team sweater after being selected as the No. 15 overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in June. / Bill Streicher, USA TODAY Sports

by Brian Manzullo, USA TODAY Sports

by Brian Manzullo, USA TODAY Sports

Growing up in Waterford, Mich., Dylan Larkin is very familiar with the legend of Steve Yzerman in Detroit.

So you can imagine what it was like for the 17-year-old to meet Yzerman, now the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, for the first time during the NHL draft combine in May.

Suffice to say, Larkin was a bit starstruck, even if he grew up a Toronto Maple Leafs fan. (His father is from Toronto.)

"I was pretty nervous for that interview," Larkin said on WXYZ-TV. "But he's a really nice guy, so it worked out."

So did the NHL draft for Larkin - the Red Wings selected the center with the No. 15 overall pick in June, giving him the chance to play at home in front of family and friends.

With that, and playing for the University of Michigan starting this fall, the past few weeks have been a whirlwind for Larkin.

"That's been probably the coolest part ... the people that have been there all the way and family and friends, and seeing little kids ask for my autograph. That's pretty cool," Larkin said. "You have to be respectable in public now, because you're representing the Red Wings now."

Larkin won a gold medal with the U.S. at the 2014 World Under-18 Championships, tallying two goals and two assists in six games. He also scored 17 goals and added nine assists in 26 games with the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based national under-18 team in the United States Hockey League.

Larkin is excited to join a Red Wings squad with a handful of up-and-coming players, including forwards Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist.

"Those are good players. They're going to find their way in the NHL," Larkin said.